


Running With Scissors

by nageesa



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, Haru is very particular with his fashion aesthetic, M/M, Oh Nagisa, Rin is very full of himself, fashiondesigner!Haru, model!Sousuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 17:39:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3819184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nageesa/pseuds/nageesa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where everything is the same except Haru becomes a swimwear designer and he's in need of a model, who in this case, is Sousuke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhhhh finally another fic! I am very into this pairing. Hope you enjoy reading!

"One more." Haru grumbles. He bites his lip. 

Beside him, Rei nods and presses the button.

Another bright flash goes off.

"Haru!" Makoto whines as he winces from the light. "I can't keep modeling for you!" 

Haru pulls out a pair of swimming trunks from a rack pushed off to the side of the modeling studio. "Yes, you can." he says straight-faced.

"No, I can't!" Makoto argues. "Finals are coming up! I'm barely passing! And you never pay me. I love you Haru, but along with that and my other job, I can't spare any more time!" 

Blue eyes stare back at him in wonder. "You're expecting to get paid?"

Makoto sighs. "Never mind."

Red glasses are adjusted as another flash goes off.

"Rei!" Makoto shouts in surprise.

"A-ah sorry, Makoto-senpai. Haruka-senpai really needs a good shot for his upcoming ad campaign." Rei says sheepishly.

"He's right, Mako-chan!" Nagisa suddenly quips from his seat on the director's chair. His mouth is full of crumbs.

Makoto sighs again. "Haru, I really want to help you, I do. But why don't you take the clothing company's advice and get a professional model?" He says as he points to himself. "Or a professional photographer." He points to Rei. 

"Rei-chan is the farthest thing from a professional." Nagisa singsongs.

Stifled, Rei replies indignantly. "Excuse me, Nagisa-kun. I think Haruka-senpai is more than happy with my photos." 

Haru nods comfortingly. "I am." he says.

Nagisa spins around in the office chair he's seated on. "Haru-chan doesn't want to work with strangers, because they wouldn't understand him, right Haru-chan?" he asks.

Scribbling a note down in his sketch book, Haru nods again.

"That's why this big studio is empty except for the four of us. It should be full of models, directors, photographers, assistants, but Haru-chan doesn't want that. Right, Haru-chan?"

Another nod. 

"But Mako-chan really needs to get studying or else he'll fail." Nagisa says thoughtfully. "That's right." Makoto replies, proud that someone finally backed him up.

"But Haru-chan really needs to release this ad so people will buy his swimsuits." Nagisa says.

"Who's side are you really on?" Makoto huffs out. 

Silence follows, the sliding of Haru's pencil across smooth paper the only sound. 

He puts his pencil down and looks at his friends. "I want to be surrounded with familiar faces. I work better that way." 

"Haru..." Makoto says softly. 

He straightens up. "Just one more. But after this, I'm done." Makoto replies. Haru nods and pulls out another pair of trunks from the rack.

\--

Haru shifts uncomfortably. He doesn't want to be here, really he doesn't. 

"Nanase-kun, these pictures are good, but I'm afraid they aren't enough if you really want to get your products out there." The head of advertising tells him. "Are you sure you don't want your own staff? We have a very good team of professionals ready to follow your every whim." she tells Haru.

"I don't need them." he tells her simply. 

"How about just a new director?" 

"No." Haru thinks about Nagisa and his outrageous ideas. A new director wouldn't make a difference, Haru doesn't pay any attention to Nagisa when it comes to these things anyway. 

"A professional photographer?"

"No." Contrary to popular belief, Rei is in fact a very good photographer. Haru's got no problem with him or his photos.

"A model?"

"..." 

Makoto's got finals coming up. Maybe a new model is a good idea. 

Haru nods. 

A wide grin plasters itself onto the advertising director's face. 

"Perfect! I'll call the modeling agency right away. We'll look for someone who embodies your brand wonderf-" she continues as she reaches for her phone. "I want a new model. But I want it to be someone I know." Haru interrupts. "Oh." replied the woman as she frowned. 

"My model, um, can't continue on. I'll look for a replacement myself." Haru says. 

"Nanase-kun, your advertisement must be forwarded to the editing board by next week. Are you sure you can find someone by then?" she asks, unsure of Haru's abilities.

He nods and stand up. "I better be going then." 

\--

"I have to find a new model." Haru says as he breaks apart his chopsticks. 

"So use me." Rin says from the opposite side of the screen. It's currently 8 pm in Tokyo, where Haru is, and 9 pm in Sydney, where Rin is. They're skyping while eating dinner, something they do every other day or so. 

"No." Haru replies simply, digging into his tonkatsu. "Why not? I'm hot enough, you know me personally, I'm aiming for the Olympics, so having an actual athlete wear your stuff is much better than having a bland model do it. What's not to love?" Rin grumbles. He takes a bite from his burger bitterly. 

Haru stops eating. "You just called yourself hot." he states. "It's because I am." Rin replies.

"I don't want to use you because I want a different body type." "A different body type?" "Somebody...bigger. More muscular." "What the hell?" "Somebody like Makoto." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why like Makoto."

He pauses. Why did Haru want someone built like Makoto?

"More pleasing to the eye. I guess."

Rin eats even more furiously to that. "More pleasing to the eye? I'm pleasing to the eye." he says, mouth full.

They continue to talk more about a different number of things, Rin's training, Makoto's studies, and even Nagisa's complete lack of direction in life included. "He wants to be an astronaut, but sometimes he wants to be a zoo keeper. I don't even know sometimes." Rin says. 

About 2 hours pass and they're about to wrap up their time together when Rin brings the subject up again. "If you're that desperate for someone like Makoto, I think I have just the person for you." 

\--

As he's sitting at his desk in his tiny makeshift studio, Haru sketches. His hand alternates between hard and light presses on his fancy smudge-proof sketchpad, a gift from Ama-chan-sensei for his birthday. 

He's waiting for someone he doesn't even know. The model was recommended by Rin and was expected to arrive 30 minutes ago. He's late and that in itself was a bad warning.

All that he's heard from Rin about this guy was that "You'll love him. Or you'll hate him. He's exactly Makoto's size so I guess you have no choice but to go with him."

So now he's made quite an impression, being late and all.

Haru sits there for about 10 more minutes, sketching and sketching, until a shadow vaguely passes over him. 

"Yo, Nanase."


	2. Chapter 2

"What." Haru says in surprise as he looks up to see a familiar figure.

 

Yamazaki.

 

Yamazaki Sousuke.

 

Sousuke Yamazaki.

 

_Sousuke Yamazaki._

 

_Sousuke._

 

_Yamazaki_.

 

 

"What are you doing here?" Haru asks, standing up quickly from his desk. Sousuke takes his cap off. "I was expecting that reaction from you. I'm your model. Hi."

"My model." Haru repeats. If he's being totally honest, Haru's completely dumbfounded.

"Are you deaf or something?" Sousuke replies as he takes off his coat this time. "Rin sent you?" Haru asks, carefully walking towards him. Sousuke nods and takes his shirt off.

"Woah. What." Haru says as he takes a step back.

"I'll get straight to the point. You design swimwear, right? So take my measurements already. I have another client in an hour so hurry up."

Haru stares at him blankly. Another client? Does that mean Sousuke is a professional?

"Hello? Nanase?" Sousuke grumbles impatiently. Haru doesn't reply.

Sousuke lets put a deep sigh. "Listen, Rin told me about your Tachibana size thing. I think we're about the same size but I'm bigger by a little bit. I'm doing this for free as a favor to Rin, don't ask, so I suggest you get to work."

"Uh...okay." Haru says, suddenly snapping back into reality. It's true, Sousuke and Makoto have almost identical builds, but it never occurred to Haru to use Yamazaki. In fact, he never thought he'd see him after high school. Especially not after two years.

Haru stumbles to get his measuring tools from behind his desk. Behind him, Sousuke strips to his underwear.

\--

The measuring tape retracts multiple times before Haru and Sousuke decided to exchange small talk.

"So...you're a professional model now." Haru says carefully as he reaches around Sousuke's waist. "Yeah, I got scouted around a year ago and that's what I've been doing ever since." he replies. "Same size as Makoto." Haru says simply, looking at the waist measurements. He writes it down in his sketchbook.

"What about you? Last thing I heard was that you were training here in Tokyo. How'd you end up a designer?" Sousuke asks in return.

"Realized that I swam to relax, so why would I want to stress over it?" Haru replies as he bites his pencil. "Arms up." he tells Sousuke. Sousuke does so and Haru proceeds to measure his biceps.

He continues telling his story. "Tried being an art major, because I was good at it, didn't like it either. An old professor of mine saw my designs and forwarded it to a clothing company without telling me. I got a job a week later."

Sousuke whistles lowly. "Lucky." he says. He lucks at Haru quizzically. "Why do you need to measure my arms?" he asks.

Haru straightens up. "I do men's rash guards too."

"Oh." "So what did Rin do for you?" "Rin? Ah, the favor. He, uh, he actually sent the modeling scout my way."

Haru pauses his work. "He did?"

"Yeah. I was literally doing nothing with my life. I didn't have any ambition, any more dreams. I just went to therapy everyday. Then the agent came, scouted me, and that was that." Sousuke replies absentmindedly.

"The shoulder's okay?" Haru asks softly. "It's doing better. I hardly use it so..." Sousuke says, scratching his head. "It looks better." Haru confirms.

Haru finishes Sousuke's measurements, slamming his sketchbook shut. He walks over to his rack of swimsuits and pulls out two jammers and two rash guards.

"Try these on." he says as he tosses them to Sousuke. He catches it with ease.

A few minutes pass and Sousuke steps out from behind Haru's fitting room aka a curtain draped in front of a mirror.

"This rash guard doesn't fit, but everything else is fine." Sousuke says as he pulls his shirt back on and his pants back on.

"Adjustments noted." Haru says as he takes his designs back from him. Sousuke pulls out his phone and frowns at it. "I better get going." he tells Haru.

"Don't want to be late to your next client." "Yeah. Calvin Klein talent agents are pretty cut throat these days." "You've booked Calvin Klein?" "I might if I get there on time." "Go, go. Shoo." Haru says as he pushes Sousuke out of his studio. He laughs as he pulls his coat on.

"So, when does the photo-shoot happen?" he asks. "In two days, if you're free." Haru replies. "Here again?" "Mhm." "Alright."

Sousuke waves as he leaves.

\--

"I told you you'd love him." Rin boasts as he sips on his Coca-Cola. 

"You told me I'd hate him." Haru answers back, sipping on his Pocari Sweat.

Rin snorts. "I told you both. So technically I'm still right." "But that makes you wrong as well." "Whatever."

"I don't know why," Haru starts to say, mouth full of his homemade grilled mackerel. "But Yamazaki seems friendlier now, less uptight."  

Rin shrugs through the webcam."People change. Even you became less of an anti-social weirdo over the last two years."

"Plus," he continues. "I thought you both were on good terms ever since that water fight at Samezuka."

"I wouldn't say we were on good terms, better terms maybe, not good terms." "Whatever you say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh sorry this is a little shorter than the first one. Wanted to get something out as quickly as I could. The next chapters will be longer (hopefully!)
> 
> edit: I'm thinking of ending this here at 2 chapters. I'm not one for drawing out a story for too long, and I guess I'm satisfied with this open-ending. I just really wanted to write about the two meeting each other again after finding their respective career paths, and I think I achieved that.
> 
> Thanks so much to whoever read this! :)


End file.
